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2017 VCA Membership Packages

Well, it is done. The last of the renewal notice packages to our current Viper Club of America members have hit the post office. If you have not received your package yet, please look for it to arrive sometime between now and next week.
For those of you who have, I hope you are enjoying your gifts. A huge Thank You goes out to so many of you who have already renewed! Your contribution to this club is greatly appreciated.
VCA relies solely on membership money to function on a daily basis. Even Facebook and our Websites are not free to run– they take manpower and secure web-hosted servers to keep your data safe. Your paid membership ensures our ability to continue to provide you with the Knowledge and Hissstory of the Viper; and, awards you Viper Club Gifts which we send to our members throughout the year.
So, if you are a Viper Owner and would like to show your appreciation to VCA, and receive some back, we ask that you please consider Renewing or Joining Viper Club of America. We are already planning some great things for next year – the Viper’s 25th birthday. We wouldn’t want you to miss out.PLEASE JOIN OR RENEW TODAY – THANK YOU.
CJ

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

Time for membership renewal, and I would like to see a copy of the financials before signing up. Didn't see anything in Guidestar, and just wondering if the paying members will get to see where the money went?
Thanks

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

I'm a bit confused about the renewal. I bought my car in June and joined then as well. That is when I paid for my annual membership. Nothing was pro-rated so why am I being asked to renew again when I haven't hit 12 months yet? If it's the same renewal time period for everyone why wasn't the initial membership pro-rated?

Trying to decide if I'm going to renew at this point as I kind of feel snake bit (pun intended).

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

98RedGTS,
You did join in June, at the E-membership level which has no proration because this level does not receive printed magazines. Both of the other levels that do prorate $20 at every quarter.
Regardless, I like to welcome all new members with a little something extra, so I sent you the standard welcome package containing your patch and badges for you and your associate member; and, as a bonus, some other items (magazine, brochure - can't really remember at this point) that VCA had sent to their member prior to your join.
You then received this gift package mailing along with a renewal request. We sent them together this year in an attempt to save a little money on postage.
All memberships are calendar year and of course it's totally up to you if you want to renew, although we would most certainly appreciate it if you did. As a non-profit, we rely solely on membership money to pay for daily operations, and functions and gifts that we give back to our members. Only with your support, and the support of all other VCA members, can we continue to keep this club, this website, the VCA Viper legacy and its hissstory alive for all owners and enthusiasts to enjoy.
If you have any other questions or concerns you are welcome to contact me at [email protected]. I hope you have at least enjoyed being a member so far. Thank you!

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

I don't mean to be a pain but you should really disclose that the memberships are calendar year at the point of joining so that people know that they are not getting the full value of their membership if they join later in the year.

I know it's not a lot of money and people will tell me to just get over it but the fact is that I thought I was paying for 12 months of membership and I'm not getting that which is wrong in principle. You can go ahead and cancel my membership.

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

Originally Posted by 98RedGTS

I don't mean to be a pain but you should really disclose that the memberships are calendar year at the point of joining so that people know that they are not getting the full value of their membership if they join later in the year.

I know it's not a lot of money and people will tell me to just get over it but the fact is that I thought I was paying for 12 months of membership and I'm not getting that which is wrong in principle. You can go ahead and cancel my membership.

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

It's not that complicated. Either do that or pro-rate membership dues (as nearly every other club does).

Yeah, have your fun. Facts are that I'm just not happy with the value of the purchase and I'm choosing not to renew. I figured they would like to know my concerns so that they could re-evaluate the system to potentially make it better. Facts are the process is misleading and since it's not a charitable donation (product is being sold) it needs to be corrected/clarified.

I know your first comments..... something along the line of "if you can't afford _____ then you shouldn't own a Viper in the first place" which would further justify you don't understand the principle of the conversation I had with the OP. My frustration is not around the $$$, it was that I felt mislead as a consumer (again a product is being sold).

Now enjoy yourselves. I really don't care and wont respond again. I had, an adult, conversation with the OP and they now understand my concerns. It's in their court on if they feel the communication is accurate or if it could be made better, which was my intentions of my comments in this thread.

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

There are 20 days left for early renewal.

Early renewal really helps us determine approximately how many members we will have in the upcoming year, and provides us with a starting point for our annual budget. Obviously, the more members renewed and joined, the more money the club has to give back.
Please help me/us out and renew or join before the end of the year. I think last year's early renewers got some nifty gifts for doing so. Renew if you haven't already, to make sure you get yours, this year.

Granger,
The 990 return was filed but we are still waiting for the IRS's acceptance letter. All should be good and we should be able to post everything soon.

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

The 990 is not a typical tax return like most people are accustomed to. It is more of a reporting/information form. Remember, the VCA is on a fiscal year not a calender year. How's your Viper doing? Any new and interesting developments?

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

Thanks for the observation. It is named a "Return". It's specific name is: "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". In layman's parlance it is quite different from what most people think of as a return - like a Form 1040, 1120 or a 1041. I should have been more precise above so I edited the post.

Re: 2017 VCA Membership Packages

I have no problem with his post. He was right. I was sloppy with my initial post. Having just helped deal with the IRS exam of the VCA Forms 990 for a number of years on a pro bono basis, I should have given more time to the post. I taught Federal Tax Litigation and Procedure at a law school for 25 years and I always liked the students the best that asked a question I did not immediately know the answer to and/or who caught me in a bit of imprecision in an off moment after a long day at my office. ( I taught from 7 to 9 at night.). I sometimes gave the students who did so extra class participation credit. It showed that they were listening and they cared.